Contemplating
by ZeldaPotter
Summary: It was then that she realized,No...she wasn't over it... And she feared she never would be.


**-Kay, I edited some stuff because for some reason I thought Tenzin was 53 but apparently he's 51. So ages and crap have been changed.  
Disclaimer: If I owned A:tla/Tlok I wouldn't be messing with people's minds. Unlike Bryke.  
Please not: Some swearing. **

"Lin, you're looking ravishing as always."

A complement. Like that would make her feel any better. The avatar destroyed her city and instead of letting her be punished what does he do? He comes and bails her out. Typical Tenzin. He used to compliment her all the time, even when they were kids.

_She was eight, he was nine. She was visiting her uncle Aang and aunt Katara with her mother and Sokka. Usually her long hair was in a ponytail but today, she had it loose today, most of it hung in front of her face. She was playing with the turtle ducks when he came and sat next to her.  
"Why are you wearing your hair down?" He asked  
"I dunno. Just thought it'd be pretty" she muttered, a bit upset. Did he not think it was pretty? She did it for him.  
"It is really pretty, but you shouldn't let it hang in front of your face. You got a really pretty face and it would be sad not to see it" She didn't stop smiling all day after that. _

She watches as the girl walks out, she expects Tenzin to leave also, but he doesn't. He sits down across from her, in the same spot where moments ago the avatar sat. He said nothing he just stared into her eyes. It reminded her of when they were younger.

_They had been dating for nearly three years and he was ready to tell her that he loved her, you might think three years is a long time to tell someone but, keep in mind they began dating at the ages of fourteen and fifteen. Even now at seventeen and eightteen they were still very young. But Tenzin was ready. He loved Lin Beifong more than anything in the world, more than air bending, more than Oogi even more than his mothers cooking, and he _loved_ his mothers cooking. He took her out on a date one night, it started out with a little sparring match, seeing as though they loved to see what would win in a battle of earth and air, Lin usually won and tonight was no different. But for once Tenzin did t mind, he wanted her to be in a good mood when he told her and he knew that if she lost, boy would she be angry. After the spar he took her out to dinner, a small restaurant that served water tribe food, it was one of their favorites, after that he took her to his father's statue where they danced to imaginary music. Now was the perfect time to tell her but, he chickened out. He was afraid she would reject him so as he opened his mouth ready to say those three little words, he froze. And he just stared at her, into her eyes.  
"What? What is it?" he stuttered to say something, anything.  
"N-nothing. You're just really really pretty" She smiled and buried her face in his neck.  
"I-I'm in love with you Lin Beifong. I love you" He finally said. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes.  
"I love you too Tenzin. So much" He leaned down and kissed her. _

Lin tried her best not to smile at the memory. She failed. Tenzin, of course, noticed her smiling, oh how he missed seeing her smile  
"What is it?" he asked. She was still at first, and then she finally answered  
"Nothing. Just remembering old times…" Tenzin laughed  
"Do you remember our first date?" Lin too laughed. How could she forget?  
"I also remember how you asked me..."  
"Yes I really shouldn't take dating Advice from uncle Sokka" They both laughed as they remembered how he had asked her

_At first he was confident. He was going to walk right up to her and say: Lin would you like to go on a date with me? But he chocked at the last moment. He ended up saying: Lin, would you uh perhaps care to possibly um... Do an activity together?  
And of course she just laughed "Do an activity?"  
"Yes... Like a uh... Date type situation thing..." Lin smiled  
"Are you asking me on a date? Or are you asking me to 'do and activity'"  
"Um... A date... Please..."  
"Meh. Sure why not" She said casually and shrugged. But on the inside she was screaming with joy. "Great! Uh, Friday! Friday I'll pick you up and- uh is Friday okay?"  
"Friday is great"  
"Great! It's great that Friday is great. This is great. Totally great. Friday. I'll pick you up"  
"I'm looking forward to it!" She laughed  
"Great... I'm glad that you're looking forward to it!"  
When Friday came he made sure to arrive at Lin's home at exactly 6 pm sharp. He put on his nicest pair of robes and got on Oogi. And, true to himself he arrived at 6 on the dot. He knocked on the door and out came... Not who he was expecting. His uncle Sokka came out the door.  
"Why hello there Tenzin. Please, come in" he said. He then told Tenzin to sit down and he sat on a chair opposite if Tenzin.  
"So, how's everything going?"  
"F-fine sir" Tenzin had no idea why was calling his uncle 'sir' he supposed it was because Sokka was pretty much Lin's father. After Lin had been born Sokka and Toph had started going out, eventually they were married so yes Sokka was basically her father, and he would of course, act like any father who's daughter was going on her first date, even if the boy she was going with was his nephew.  
"So Tenzin... You're going on a date. With Lin..." he said while rubbing his beard.  
"Yes sir…"  
"Well then. I think it's time I gave you... Some dating advice!"  
"Don't listen to him Tenzin!" He heard his aunt Toph yell from another room.  
"His dating rules never work!"  
"Worked on you didn't they!" Sokka yelled back. "Listen Tenzin, the sure fire way to a girls heart is to take her flying on Appa"  
"I'm not allowed to fly on Appa…"  
"And why not? Because you're rambunctious?"  
"No… because Appa is getting old so dad wants to use him for emergencies only"  
"Oh…"  
"But I have Oogi"  
"Oogi will work" Then Toph came into the room  
"Fine Tenzin you wanna know how your uncle picks up chicks? First he makes the girl hate him then finally when the girl starts liking him he goes out with another girl. With _fans_ as weapons. Fans! Then _finally_ after spirits knows how many years he comes to his senses and finally asks the girl out. While she's pregnant. Because he's an idiot"  
"Toph! Oh come on! It was a million years ago! I'm totally over Suki!" Sokka got up and ran after his wife, at that moment Lin came down.  
"Uh, what-"  
"Don't ask" Tenzin muttered. Finally he got a good look at her. Her hair was loose but it wasnt covering her face. She wore a green dress, similar to the one her mother had worn after Avatar Aang had won the war, and she wasn't wearing any shoes, Lin was like her mother in a lot of ways, this was one them. Nontheless, she looked beautiful.  
"Hi…" She said shyly.  
"Hey" He said. Neither of them said anything Tenzin just grabbed her hand and led her outside to Oogi, he offered to help Lin on Oogi but she Could earth bend herself up. Tenzin was fascinated by how she earthbended, it was like she wasn't even seeing what she did, she just felt it.  
"I thought it'd be nice if we flew around on Oogi and watched the sunset, and then dinner?"  
"Sounds great" Lin said while smiling.  
"Yip yip!" Tenzin said and the bison flew up in the air.  
"Wow" Lin said, mesmerized "It's so pretty up here" And then Tenzin proceeded to say the cheesiest line in the history of cheesy lines "Not as pretty as you" He really couldn't think of anything else to say because it was true. She looked so beautiful with the wind blowing through her hair and the sunset background behind her just made her look prettier. Lin blushed.  
"That was really cheesy. But really sweet" She said as she pecked him on his cheek. Now it was his turn to blush.  
"Thank you for doing this" She said quietly.  
"Trust me Lin, it was my pleasure" he said and held her hand. _

Lin was a afraid to say what came next, but she dared herself to say it.  
"What happened to us Tenzin?" He sighed and held her hand.  
"We wanted different things Lin..."  
"Such as?"  
"I... I wanted children Lin. And you didn't"  
"You told me you wanted kids when you were twenty three. I told you then that I didn't. Atleast not yet, and yet we stayed together for more than ten years after that!"  
"Realisation dawned on me Lin. I realized after my father died That I was the only airbender left. I guess I just... Changed"  
"You didnt change. She changed you!" Lin couldn't Even say her name without her voice breaking. She still remembered the day Tenzin told her he was leaving her like it was yesterday

_She was excited to see him, she couldn't wait to tell him the great news, he would be so happy! They had been having some problems as a couple but she was so sure that her news would fix everything. He had asked her to meet him at the Republic City Park at one o clock on the bridge so there she was waiting with a huge smile on her face. When he finally arrived he was with a woman, she was young /much/ younger than him, she had brown hair and stood way to close to Tenzin. He told the woman something and then made his way towards her.  
"Hi Tenzin!" She said cheerfully and wrapped her arms around him, she was a bit shocked when he only hugged her back for less than a second.  
"Lin I have to... tell you something" He said sadly  
"I have to tell you something too"  
"Please, let me go first..."  
"Okay" She said still cheerfully. She was in such a great mood, nothing could make her unhappy.  
"I don't love you anymore" ...Except maybe that. Her smile vanished immediately.  
"W-What?"  
"Lin, I'm so sorry. But... You and me, we're too different! We want different things, and I just... Don't feel the same way anymore" Lin felt tears threatening to fall down her face, Lin Beifong did not cry. Ever.  
"I- I want kids Lin. You don't and-"  
"But Tenzin!" he sighed  
"Lin... There's someone else" Lins thoughts went back to the woman he was with earlier. All traces of sadness were gone and now there was only anger  
"WHAT!" she shrieked. "You're leaving me for _her_?"  
"Lin please, people are staring"  
"I don't give a damn if people are staring! How old is she Tenzin?"  
"Lin I really don't think this matters-"  
"How. Old. Is. She" Lin said through clenched teeth. Tenzin sighed for the upteenth time  
"She"s twenty but I really don't see how this is relevant to-"  
"TWENTY!" Lin screeched "Not only are you leaving me for another woman but for a woman _fifteen_ years younger than you?"  
"Lin, I love her"  
"You loved me too! Or was that just a lie?"  
"Lin I-"  
"Leave me alone Tenzin. I never want to see your face again"_

It hurt that he chose someone else over her, but what _really_ hurt was that she was so young. They had three kids, three beautiful wonderful children. At first Lin hated the children, but after spending time with the eldest, Jinora (And in Lins opinion, the only sane one) Lin realized that she couldn't hate these children for something their mother had done.  
"Don't bring Pema into this"  
"Why not? Why the _fuck_ shouldn't I bring her into this! We were happy Tenzin! Then she came along and ruined it!"

_'You are cordially invited to celebrate the matrimony on Tenzin and Pema Friday April twelfth from 6 pm to midnight on airtemple island. We sincerely hope you can join us on this very special day' She didnt go. Who would even want to go to their exes wedding? Her mother had tried and convinced to to come but after an hour she gave up. So while everyone else was having fun Lin sat in a bar drinking as much as her body could handle.  
"Lin..." she hears a voice behind her. She turns half expecting her mother yet again trying to convince her to go the wedding and half expecting Tenzin to tell he was an idiot, not that she didn't know that. But it's  
neither of them. It's Aang. Dear sweet Aang whom she'd loved playing with as a child. But he was also Aang, father of Tenizn...  
"Don't you have a wedding to be at?" She says bitterly  
"It's no Fun without you"  
"I'm not going. My mother couldn't convince me and nether can you!"  
"I'm not here to convince you Lin. I just came to ask if you were okay" No one had asked her if she was okay since the two got engaged. Was she okay?  
"I... No. I'm not okay. I-I feel like everyone in the entire world is happy and in love and then there's just me all alone! He told me he loved me and then he just... He just stopped! Who does that? Who just suddenly stops loving a person?" She was nearly crying now. Spirits, why was she so emotional all of a sudden! Aang said nothing. He just held her while she cried. _

"You're not over it" Tenzin said quietly.  
"Of course I'm over it! Can't you tell how completely over it I am!"  
"You're not over it" He repeated, quieter this time. Lin couldn't control herself. She stood up and then she just... Burst.  
"No FUCKING SHIT TENZIN!" She yelled, tears threatening to fall down her face "No fucking shit!"  
"Lin, please I-"  
"Leave" She said sitting back down.  
"Lin-"  
"Please just go Tenzin. Leave me alone" She said, he did as she asked and quietly shut the door behind him. Lin buried her face in her arms and cried. The other cops who walked by were shocked, Their chief? Their tough as nails chief crying? No one dared to ask her what was though.  
Lin contemplated Tenzins words. Was she over it?

_"Lin Beifong, I love you more than anything in the world. Would you please, do me the honor of being my wife?"  
"Are you actually asking me this again?"  
"I'll keep asking 'till you say yes"  
"So If I say yes you'll stop?"  
"Yup" She laughed.  
"You're so annoying. But I love you for it... Yes" _

It was then that she realized, no. No she wasn't over it. And she feared she never would be.

**There. I made Tokka _and _Linzin work. Take that Bryke. Well, I hope you liked it. And just to be clear, I dont think Pema is a home wrecker or anything, I just think Lin probably feels that way. Lin might also seem pretty ooc in the flashbacks but hey, that's how I imagine her, Tenzin probably just made her bitter. I've also posted this on DeviantArt so if you see it there don't think that I stole it or that that person stole it from me :P  
So please review! Even a simple : I liked it' Would be awesome! Hell, if you didn't like it tell me! And tell me what you didn't like about it!  
**


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